In 1989, Strachan (Strachan D. Family size, infection and atopy: the first decade of the “hygiene hypothesis”. Thorax 2000; 55(suppl 1):S2-10) suggested that decreased exposure to infections could explain the increasing prevalence of allergic disease in Western countries. This has become known as the hygiene hypothesis.
Since then, numerous investigations have attempted to discern a role for organisms such as lactobacilli in immunological maturation (Vaarala G. Immunological effects of probiotics with special reference to lactobacilli. Clin Exp Allergy 2003; 33:1634-40; Blumer N, Sel S, Virna S, Patrascan C, Zimmermann S, Herz U, et al. Perinatal maternal application of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG suppresses allergic airway inflammation in mouse offspring. Clin Exp Allergy 2007; 37:348-57) and the effect of probiotics on the development of allergic disease.
The efficacy of prenatal or neonatal administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus acidophilus LAVR1-A1, or Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 55730 on the development of allergic disease is conflicting, with various studies reporting divergent findings. One study reported that administration of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG halved the frequency of eczema at 2, 4, and 7 years, but had no effect on atopic sensitization (see Kalliomaki M, Salminen S, Poussa T, Isolauri E. Probiotics during the first 7 years of life: a cumulative risk reduction of eczema in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007; 119:1019-21). Other studies have found no effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus or L. rhamnosus GG on atopic dermatitis, with one of these studies finding that L. acidophilus supplementation actually increased the risk of atopic sensitization (Taylor A, Dunstan J, Prescott S. Probiotic supplementation for the first 6 months of life fails to reduce the risk of atopic dermatitis and increases the risk of allergen sensitization in high-risk children: a randomized controlled trial. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007; 119:184-91). It has been suggested that the different organisms used and whether there was a prenatal intervention may have influenced the divergent findings.
Furthermore, while a range of treatments for allergic diseases such as eczema are currently available, those suitable for use during pregnancy are limited, and frequently of limited efficacy.
There remains a need for methods and compositions useful to treat or prevent allergic disease, in particular eczema, and particularly methods and compositions utilizing or comprising other lactobacilli.
It is an object of this invention to go some way towards achieving one or ore of these desiderata or at least to offer the public a useful choice.